Oregonians take federal stage

Oregonians, with ballots still in hand, have a rare opportunity to ask the federal government and those running for office to meet needs.

An opinion piece by Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C., and Charles Sheketoff, the executive director of the Oregon Center for Public Policy in Silverton, mentions high-paying jobs with benefits in Oregon.

While Oregon ranks at just about the national average in the percentage of its workers who have good jobs, that's not particularly good news: Nearly three out of every four Oregon jobs pay less than $17 an hour or don't provide health care and pension benefits. And the situation is likely to worsen soon because wages are not keeping pace with rising food and energy prices.

Which presidential candidate will answer the call and give Oregon consideration when it comes to policy?